Environmental Auditing – Day 1
Government Policies
Preservation of environmental balance has now found a place in the fundamental law of
the land itself. The Indian Constitution is the first constitution in the world, which made
provision for the protection of environment. The Constitution (Forty Second)
Amendment Act, 1977, for the first time, inserted specific provision with respect to the
protection of environment throughout the country. No doubt at present India is passing
through the developing stage when she is not confronted with so many environmental
problems as the developed countries. But the developing nation has to learn lessons from
the west and it can not afford to sit idle. It has to equip itself before hand to face the
situation.
Our constitution imposes a duty on the State and the citizens alike to try their best to keep
the environment clean. Under the Municipal and Corporation Act health and sanitation
are the duty of the local authorities like Municipality and Corporation, Art, 48A, of the
constitution gives the following directive to the State. ‘The States shall endeavor to
protect and improve the environment and to safeguard forests and wild life of the
country’. Article 51A(g) imposes a duty on the citizen to protect and improve natural
environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for
living creatures. The municipalities should be in a position to ensure that there is
adequate provision for drinking water, proper drainage system and all other facilities for
keeping the area clean and hygienic. Excessive or negligent use of toxic materials like
pesticides could be controlled by the concerned authorities. The Government by and
Order, G.O. MS. No.272, Environment & Forests dated 10/7/90 directed to the District
Collectors to form District Environmental Committees in their respective district with a
view to solving, the local environmental problems. Such committees consist of 21
members from different organizations such as elected bodies, academic institutions,
governmental departments and voluntary agency. It can play a major role in the area of
environmental protection and conservation at the district level.
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Environmental Auditing – Day 1
Water Pollution Problem
According to the NEERI, 70% of India’s inland water is unfit for human consumption.
Major causes of water pollution are due to discharge of industrial and community wastes.
Out of India’s 142 major cities only 8 have satisfactory sewer system and adequate sewer
treatment facilities, 62 cities have only partial arrangements and 72 cities have no
facilities at all. Two thirds of all illnesses in India relate to water borne diseases, such as
typhoid, hepatitis, cholera, diarrhea dysentery.
International Decade of Drinking Water and Sanitation was 1981-90. The objectives were
to provide safe water and sanitation to all. This requires prevention of our water resources
being polluted. But the NEERI has found that the water in Dal Lake in north, to Periyar
and Chaliyar in the South, Damodar and Hooghly in the East to Thane river in the west
are polluted.
Causes of Water Pollution
Major cause of water pollution is due to (1) discharge of industrial effluents. (2) dumping
of community wastes from human settlements. This accounts for four times as much
wastewater as industrial effluents. (3) Materials stored on earth such as, raw materials,
solid refuse of a mine, quarry on land may cause pollution by rain washing it into river,
Molasses stored in pits of a sugar factory in Goa were washed by rain into Khandapur
river killing fishes on a large scale and rendered the water unfit for human consumption.
Therefore, the factory erected steel tank for shortage of molasses. (4) Even air pollutants
may cause water pollution. Studies revealed that the largest contribution of heavy metal
pollution in lakes come from air borne pollutants and only lesser contribution from
industrial effluents. (5) The use of pesticides for agriculture may cause pollution due to
rain water washing it into stream.
The irresponsible dumping of industrial waste into the Kalu river (Maharashtra) has made
it a noxious sewer of poisonous mercury, lead and cadmium. This kills aquatic life, birds
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Environmental Auditing – Day 1
and exposes the human population of several villages along the river to the dreaded
‘Minamata disease ‘which can result in madness, muscle spasms, poisoning have already
been felt by people in the area. Thus the dumping of industrial wastes has caused
permanent imbalance in the aquatic ecosystem of Kalu river. The lack of preventive steps
may drive thousands to death. The number of manufacturing companies are increasing
year by year.
The river Ganga was found to be polluted and therefore, the Central Ganga Authority was
constituted in 1985 to guide and oversee the implementation of a programme for
restoring the quality of the river Ganga.
The industries in the several areas of Mumbai are directly discharging untreated wastes
into the sewers and those waters are carried through sewerage and discharged into the
sea, creeks or into other watercourses which enter the creeks and the sea.
In Calcutta-Asansol region the industrial sewage from Jute Mills, Textile mills,
Tanneries, Paper mills, Distilleries etc are discharged into the Hooghly estuary. Damodar
river water is rendered unfit for drinking and for fish-life because of discharge of
industrial effluents. Kanpur city has 45 tanneries, 10 textile mills, 3 woolen mills, two
jute mills and a number of chemical can pharmaceutical industries discharging their
wastes into the river. The Rushikulya (Orissa) is polluted by chemical industries.
The River Yamuna is polluted because of 200 million litres of untreated sewage
everyday, twenty million litres of industrial effluents and half a million litres of DDT
wastes. Its tributary, namely Chambal river is also equally polluted by the effluents and
wastes from the fertilizer factory (Kota), Atomic Power Station, Thermal Power Station
etc.
River Gomati is polluted by the discharge of about 180000 litres of sewage and wastes
from pulp and paper mills near Lucknow. The Sone river is heavily polluted near Dalmia
Nagar. The Damodar river is polluted by the effluents and other wastes from Bokra (Steel
factory), Durgapur (Steel factory). Near Calcutta, Tally’s Nullah, a canal from Ganga and
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Environmental Auditing – Day 1
the Hooghly are the dumping grounds for the city’s dead dogs and cats. The river
Godavari at Rajamundri
(effluents from paper mills) and its tributary Soni at
Kothagudem (Thermal Station) are polluted. River Krishna and its tributary Bhadra (at
Bhadravati Paper Mills & Steel Plants) are also polluted. The Tungabhadra river by the
poly-fibres factory at Harihar is polluted The Cauvery river receives wastes from paper,
chemical, distilleries, electrical industries and from tanneries. The river Narmada is
polluted and river Tapi by Nepa nagar paper mills.
In Kerala Periyar (by a number of chemical, fertilizers, and metallurgical and rayon units)
and equally the chaliyar river (by the Gwalior Rayons) are polluted.
Dumping of trade and sewage effluents may find its way to under ground water and
pollute it. Study revealed that the ground water in villages around the industrial town of
Faridabad was highly polluted and unit for human consumption.
Problems involved in Water Pollution in India
1. India is a federal state and almost all are inter-state rivers. In the present day
condition of things, no one state nor the union can deal with any one river. The
only remedy may be nationalize all the interstate rivers.
2. Quality of water in a polluted stream depends not only on the discharge of
polluted material but also on the abstraction of water from the stream particularly
for irrigation.
3. Yet another problem relates to attaining purety between standards for trade and
the standards of purity of water of the stream (stream standard).
4. Location of an industry may be an important factor in controlling pollution.
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Environmental Auditing – Day 1
5. Besides, pollution is a technical problem and pollution control itself is in a
developing stage. Moreover, the question of drawing a balance between
industrialization and pollution is also a matter of serious concern.
The Effects of Water Pollution
This may be studied under different heads:
1.
Effects on public health and safety
Domestic sewage contains pathogenic bacteria. Except when sanitary and
process wastes are mixed in the discharge from an industrial plant this bacteria is not
found in industrial waste. Proper treatment of domestic sewage would destroy this
bacteria. To some extent the presence of acids and other industrial wastes destroy
pathogenic and other bacteria coming from untreated municipal sewage; this may not
be a proper excuse for adequate waste treatment.
Toxic substances like acids, alkalis, cyanides or heavy metal salts found in
industrial waste may enter into municipal water supply or a stream water used for
recreational purposes and thus cause another public health hazard. Besides, the
radioactive wastes from institutions, industrial plants and laboratories may also be a
health hazard.
Use of fish living in polluted water and the use of shellfish, living in
contaminated water, is toxic to human beings.
Discharge of toxic wastes underground may pollute ground water. Where the
stream water is polluted by petroleum products occurrence of fire is also possible.
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Environmental Auditing – Day 1
2.
Effects on aquatic and other life Pollution in natural water may render the fish unfit for human consumption.
Severe contamination of such water makes them and other organisms inhabiting the
stream sick. If dumping of industrial waste is by slow process they may escape to safe
place but if it is sudden enmasse death of fish is also possible. Besides animals
drinking the polluted water will put them to health hazard.
Sulfuric acid is the common toxic material discharged into natural waters
from abandoned coalmines, metal plants, chemical units and other industries. Alkalis,
which is less harmful, is from the discharges of effluents from pulp mills textile mills
or from chemical plants.
Cyanides which is also harmful to aquatic life get into natural water from
metal plating units, plastic manufacturing units and coke plants. Besides dissolved
oxygen content in water may be reduced by the presence of industrial wastes and
other pollution’s. Reduction of oxygen content in the water in which fishes live will
affect their life very much. Reduction of oxygen is brought about by various means of
pollution and this results in disturbing the ecosystems of national waters. To protect
this system methods such as diluting the suspected material in the natural water is
adopted.
3.
Damage to property Discharge of acids and other industrial wastes into the natural water will
damage the concrete structures over the rivers and ships and other navigation means.
Corrosion by acid wastes which is more harmful if this polluted water is taken for
industrial purpose or for other purposes by the municipal or other local boards by
means of metal pipes or by other systems. Besides, discharge of hot water into rivers
may raise the temperature of the water and make it unfit for down-stream users who
require cool water for contain specific purposes.
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Environmental Auditing – Day 1
Air Pollution
Air is mixture of gases: Nitrogen (75%), Oxygen (23%), Argon (1.26%).
Other gases like Neon, Krypton, Helium, Hydrogen, Xenon and Ozone are also
present.
Air pollution has been defined by the WHO (World Health Organization) as
the presence of materials in the air which are harmful to men and environment. Air
stays no where for a long time. Because air is freely moving pollutants in the air
spread over a wide areas soon.
In 1930 in Belg2ium a heavy smoke caused the death of 63 persons and 6000
fell sick. The five-day London fog (Killer smog) in 1952 resulted in the death of
40000 people. In 1948 in Donara (Pennsylvania) 14000 people fell sick and 20 died.
The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute has set up air
monitoring stations in Mumbai, Calcutta, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Nagpur.
Sources
1. Industrial pollutants released from industrial units and powerhouses, are the main
source of air pollution. They are mainly suplhur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, hydrogen, sulphide, chlorine, nitrous oxide, arsenic ozone, ash and
endless number of metal particles and gases.
2. Domestic pollutants form fossil fuels burnt by men.
3. Automobile exhausts.
4. Radiations
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